Tag: sewing

Our craft group recently had a very popular session making bags/purses with traditional clasp tops. Several people enjoyed it so much, they kept making them and still are. My version was a slight twist on the pattern as ususal I like to add my own twist…

In my stash I had a piece of furnishing fabric picked up from one of my crafty friends – they had a stash sort out and I couldn’t pass it by! This project suited it well, its a little bit glam and has a bold pattern; I took the motif as a basis for the shape of the bag.

Unbelievably, I’ve finished my quilt. I’m so, pleased. Many moons ago I read an article about making a quilt in a weekend. Ha! I can do that I thought. I can do a random pattern of stripes, use up all (ha) my scraps, make it look like a sea and do wavy free form quilting.

Well, it kind of meets that expectation except, most definitely the weekend bit! I know its been a while because the photographic evidence goes back 18 months and they weren’t taken when I started. I feels like four years but lets just settle for somewhere in the middle.

Anyway, here it is…

Raw edges and stitching in progress.

Work in progress, detail of strips, up-cycled fabrics including the odd remaining button…

And the finished item folded…

Rear view, made in giant log cabin pattern…

And the right side…

Phew! All done and very satisfying. Light weight and perfect for a spring/autumn boost.

Its so easy to lose track of what you’ve done over the last year. I found this last January when I blogged about that I’d read in 2015. It was difficult to remember all my reads. I resolved to keep a list of books and have kept it through 2016. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I actually had read and now I’m able to blog about all those good or not so good reads. That’s subject for another day but today I’ve been casting my mind back to my craft projects of 2016.

I don’t have a list, but at least I’ve a photographic record of lots of them! So, here are a few reminders of projects from last year. Some you’ve seen, some new…

Knitting

I finished fingerless mits made with hand spun yarn, a baby jacket and at the end of the year made myself a cosy cowl – another stash buster!

Spinning

I finally finished spinning some soft, but previously very dirty jacob, completed a four colour shetland yarn and at the end of the year spun some lovely soft, probably merino, multi-coloured top. I love its soft mossy green with hints of red.

Sewing

For me, sewing means many things. Often I use a range of materials, a mixture of textures, machine and hand stitching and embellishments of beads, shells etc. This year I managed to finish some WIPs that had been hanging around for ages, which was very satisfying but also knocked up a quick and effective flipped and stitched picture…

Crochet

I don’t really consider myself a crocheter but I’ve completed a few crochet projects in 2016. You’ve seen the rock pool cushion and experiment before but not quick Christmas decoration or the blanket which has played a big part of my crafty year. I really like it and it was very satisfying. Nearly all the yarn in these projects has been up-cycled and/or gifted and its been a good stash busting year!

And more…

And still there are a few more bits and pieces including a woven cardboard basket, the ever WIP quilt, a fun Lutrador and Xpandaprint experiment (still a WIP), a lesson in tunisian crochet (I really must revisit it) and shibori indigo dyeing.